This weekend, my family and I rented a condo in Estes Park that’s right on the Fall River. It was really a family trip, not a fishing trip, but I took my tenkara gear anyway. I’ve been caught off guard too many times without a rod after stumbling on to easy fishing opportunities. So now, I take at least some gear with me wherever I go. This particular stretch of river by the condo isn’t exactly blue-ribbon water....

I took the day off from work today to hit Clear Creek thinking the water levels might have come down a little since I was there last weekend. Nope. Still running high, but fishable. I also wanted to check out what condition the recent flooding had left the stream in. Unfortunately, two of my suspicions might have been confirmed. When I first saw pictures and videos of the flood, I had two concerns: 1. Would there be a large fish...

Today was one of those days where the fishing was so good that you shun all mortal needs until your body just can’t take it anymore. And all of a sudden, it finally hits you: you’re starving, dehydrated, and really (really) have to go to the bathroom. I headed to a section of Boulder Creek about three and a half miles up from Boulder Falls that has a lot of nice pools and pocket water. I figured this would be good...

I got to give my Oni rod and Tenkara USA Ayu II a workout today on clear creek again. This time, with avid tenkara angler, Phil Echelman. It was a great day with lots of fish caught, and some neat streamside discoveries. I actually started fishing just above tunnel #1before I met up with Phil. By 9:30, a lot of spots I wanted to hit were already taken so I decided to stop at the first pull off that was vacant and make a few casts...

A few posts ago, I wrote about my initial impressions of the Tenkara no Oni rod and this weekend, I finally got a chance to give it a workout on Clear Creek outside of Golden, CO. Not only was the fishing great, but my field test confirmed a lot of what I had expected of the rod. Oni Knots Clear Creek is a fast flowing stream with a good mix of pocket water and pools that probably resembles a lot of the streams tenkara...

I hit the South Platte today since it was one of the only rivers that isn’t frozen over right now. I didn’t expect to catch much because, well…it’s the S. Platte in December. And, my expectations were met. I only caught one (small) rainbow. But I can’t complain. After all, it was a frigid day on one of the toughest rivers in Colorado. So cold in fact, my net froze: I brought my old Orvis...

It was a gloomy day on Bear Creek today. Surrounded by dark waters, cold grey rocks, scraggly leave-less trees, dead grasses, and overcast skies, I felt like I was fishing in a Tim Burton movie. Luckily, the fishing was better than the weather… It’s been an eternity since I’ve fished Bear Creek. For much of the summer, there was a voluntary fishing ban which kept me from fishing my go-to creek. Now that the ban is...

My daughter Emma doesn’t know it yet, but she’s the world’s youngest tenkara angler. I say this because even though she’s only four months old, she embodies the spirit of tenkara. She takes pleasure in simple things, lives completely in the moment, and basically just takes a beginner’s mind approach to every experience. My wife and I took her for a picnic today on Bear Creek and she was enamored with...

Today, Karel from Tenkara on the Fly, Joe from Dragon Fly Fishing and I headed up to the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park to fish North Inlet Creek just above Grand Lake. I normally fish the east side of RMNP and haven’t been to the west side in years so today was a real treat. I not only got to go somewhere different, but the fishing, scenery, wildlife, and company were fantastic. Here’s my trip report…...

Today, I was lucky to head out to some absolutley gorgeous water with fellow tenkara angler Paul Vertrees. We saw tons of animals, caught tons of fish, and absorbed more scenery in four hours than many people see in a year. Here’s my trip report… The Stream Paul took me to a spring creek outside of Canon City, Colorado. It’s not just off the beaten path. First, you go off the beaten path, and then you go off that...

I just got back from a quick trip to Rocky Mountain National Park with Anthony Naples from Casting Around. Anthony and I have had a long-term online relationship and many people might not know that he actually designed the graphics for the header of this blog. In addition to being a great graphic designer, Anthony is a true Neo-Renaissance man. He can adeptly discuss anything from tenkara to futurism to politics. I met him in...

Last weekend, Karel from Tenkara on the Fly and I headed out to Barker Reservoir in Nederland, CO. He heard that there might be grayling near the inlet so we thought we’d give it a shot. Our last attempt at getting grayling new Joe Wright Reservoir was somewhat of a disaster. But this time, we knew that there were plenty of other fishing opportunities nearby if the grayling didn’t cooperate. And in accordance with our...

I hit Clear Creek again today, hoping to do better than I did last time. Luckily, I did because this time I really wanted to get some footage with my new Go Pro camera. I’m still learning to work it, but I hope you like this short video I took with it. Also, here are some pictures and the fly that worked today… Even though we’re in a drought (and a heat wave), Clear Creek...

Today, on my first Father’s Day, I hit Clear Creek for a while just a few miles outside of Golden, CO. I’m not sure why I made that choice. It’s not my favorite type of stream–steep banks that you have to climb to get from spot to spot, vast distances between good pools, highway noise, and extremely fast water (I suppose that’s why it’s such a popular rafting and kayaking stream). But...

Today I had a chance to fish the Fall River in Rocky Mountain National Park for three hours. With high winds and ultra-spooky trout, I definitely had to work for my fish but the scenery and solitude were well worth it. I decided to fish downstream of the alluvial fan. My favorite section of the Fall River (and the first place I ever fished tenkara) is actually the hike up the valley from Fall River Road. It’s all...

I met up with a bunch of fellow tenkara anglers on Boulder creek this weekend and what would you know but Larry Green from Granny Scott Pies showed up with a pie sporting the Tenkara USA logo. It’s just one more example of how cool, creative, and fun tenkara anglers are. Thanks for sharing Larry!...

The little voice inside my head said I should know better than to hit the stream Memorial weekend (let alone on actual Memorial Day) but sometimes it pays to go against your better judgement… Sure enough, the parking lot at Bear Creek was not only packed, but overflowing. I was lucky to get a spot from someone who just happened to be leaving right when I arrived. Hoping most of the cars were hikers and bikers, I suited...

They say there has to be a first time for everything. Well, today, the old cliche materialized in triplicate (two good, one not so good). And while people also say, “two out of three ain’t bad”, I’d summarize today as an all around great day despite the fact that one of these firsts just as easily could have turned out to be a bad omen. The 1st First: Rain Believe it or not, today was...

Today I hit the Big Thompson with fellow tenkara angler Jim Lionberger. I haven’t fished the Big Thompson in the canyon for a few years so it was nice to make it back. Even better was that Jim has a friend who owns some land right on the river so we ha a beautiful stretch of water all to ourselves. The fish were rising and the action was great despite the cold. The overcast made conditions perfect for a good olive...

This might come as a surprise to some of you but today, I caught my first tenkara-caught bass. Funny thing–I guess if you only go fishing for trout, you only catch trout! Until today, I have only used tenkara in trout streams so I thought I’d give one of our local lakes a try for some warmwater tenkara. Actually, it’s a chain of lakes next to the South Platte that I drive by every day on my way to work....